7 Shocking Climate Change Headlines

We’ve seen a lot of bad news about our planet in the past several years. Here are the seven most worrisome climate change headlines.

Share

Your Reach

The News Goes From Bad to Worse

Hurricanes. Droughts. Wildfires. Floods. It seems like we can't go a week without seeing another headline about some devastating example of Mother Nature's dark side. In fact, in 2012 alone, 3,257 monthly weather records for heat, rain, and snow in the U.S were shattered. Such extreme weather is very costly—both in terms of dollars and in terms of human lives. Up to $188 billion in damage was caused by the severe weather events of 2011 and 2012, and 1,107 fatalities resulted from 25 such events. And scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm that cliamte change and global warming are amplifying and exacerbating such events. Here are seven of the most shocking weather headlines since An Inconvenient Truth hit theaters in 2006.

Photo: Getty Images

‘Ocean Acidification to Hit 300-Million-Year Max’

Wired.com—March 2, 2012

Often labeled as global warming’s evil twin, ocean acidification occurs when the increased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere lowers the ocean’s pH. According to a paper released by Science, about one-third of the CO2 emitted by humans since the start of the industrial revolution has been absorbed by the ocean.

Why is this a problem? Well, about 252 million years ago, ocean acidification caused a mass extinction of somewhere around 96 percent of all marine species. And the rate of CO2 released into the atmosphere was about 10 to 100 times slower than current rates. If our current rate continues, we could potentially see changes that are unparalleled in the last 300 million years of Earth’s history.

Photo: Commercial fishermen and other mariners in Homer, Alaska, form an “SOS” in 2009 to raise awareness about ocean acidification caused by fossil fuels. Lou Dematteis/Reuters

‘Atmospheric CO2 Levels Hit 800,000-year High’

ABC News Australia—March 14, 2012

In their annual State of the Climate report released in March 2012, Australian researchers indicated that annual daily maximum temperatures increased dramatically since 1910. Dr. Karl Berganza of Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology had expressed concern at the alarming pace of climate change. He added, “In the geological history of the earth, global changes of this magnitude happen very rarely. We have no evidence going back 800,000 years of CO2 levels above 300 parts per million.”

Fast forward a year later and the world saw CO2 levels hit a record-shattering 400 parts per million in April 2013.

Photo: Theo Heimann/AFP/Getty Images

‘Cheetah Struggling to Reproduce Due to Climate Change, Scientists Warn’

The Guardian—March 7, 2012

They’re one of Africa’s iconic resident beasts. But scientists say they could soon die off, and you’ve got climate change to thank for their demise. According to a study conducted by the Kenya Wildlife Service and the National Museum of Kenya, warmer temperatures have caused abnormal coils to develop in the cheetah’s sperm, affecting its ability to reproduce. Throw in low sperm counts, extremely low testosterone levels, and a change in food supply, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Photo: Sue Flood/Getty Images

‘No Polar Bears Within a Few Decades, Russian Expert Predicts’

Canada.com—Oct. 11, 2012

Within 25 years from now, you won’t be able to find a polar bear anywhere on planet Earth. That’s Russian polar bear expert Nikita Ovsyannikov’s dire prediction. Ovsyannikov, who is the deputy director of Russia’s polar bear reserve on Wrangel Island, pointed out: “It is worse for the Russian polar bears than the bears in Canada or Greenland because the ice pack is retreating much faster in our waters.” The number of bears around the Chukchi Sea has dropped over the past 30 years from 4,000 to no more than 1,700.

Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

This colony of Adelie penguins might have to settle for these rocky ice melt pools. According to a study from the Australian National University and the British Antarctic Survey, Antarctica is losing ice at a rate 10 times faster than 600 years ago. And although it replenishes its ice loss and tends to expand in size, the rate of melting in the region now far exceeds that which is replenished each year. The world’s last true wilderness is in danger of melting, and scientists are warning of global sea-level rise of up to six meters within one full generation.

Photo: STR New/Reuters

‘Earth Will Take 100,000 Years to Recover From Global Warming, say Geologists’

The Telegraph—November 2, 2010

It could take the Earth 100,000 years to recover from the impacts of climate change, according to Britain’s Geological Society. The biggest potential impact: mass extinction of species caused by rapid temperature rise. Studying rock sediments from millions of years ago, geologists are able to analyze and model how increases in greenhouse gases led to temperature-change species die-off. According to Professor Jims Zachos of the University of California, future impact will be much more severe than those felt by previous warming episodes 55 million years ago.

Photo: Andy Clark/Reuters

‘Chocolate Will Become an Expensive Luxury Item Due to Climate Change’

The Telegraph—Dec 26, 2011

Sure, chocolate isn’t really in the same class as polar bears or ocean acidification—but we still think this is kind of a big deal! According to a study commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 50 percent of land suitable for cocoa production could be gone by 2050 because of rising temperatures. Farmers and retailers could be forced to jack up the price on cocoa beans and chocolate bars. Chocolate lovers, take note!

Follow Us

about takepart

TakePart — a digital news & lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer — is a division of Participant Media, the company behind Pivot Television Network and important films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting For Superman, Food, Inc., Good Night & Good Luck, Charlie Wilson’s War, Contagion, The Help, and many others. Learn more about Participant Media.